LThe events of the 2004 Paris Paralympic Games began this Thursday, August 29, and already the first French medals are falling. Of all the symbols capable of changing the place of disabled people in our society, these medals are perhaps among the most powerful. Of course, the performances they reward are not comparable to those of the Olympic Games and their design is different. But they offer the same financial bonuses.
While the Paralympic Games have existed since 1960, it was not until the Beijing Games in 2008 that French Paralympic medallists received the same amount of bonuses as their Olympic counterparts. The bonus scale, also common to Paralympic athlete guides, was increased in 2024. A gold medallist, whether able-bodied or disabled, receives a bonus of 80,000 euros (compared to 65,000 for the previous Tokyo Games). A silver medallist, 40,000 euros (compared to 25,000), and a bronze medallist, 20,000 euros (compared to 15,000).
An even later equaliser in Australia
By comparison, Australia, for example, waited until the Paris Games to equalise the amounts. At the Tokyo Games, Australian Olympic athletes received larger prize money for the same medals than their Paralympic counterparts.
Although France currently practices equal treatment, it is not the country where the bonuses are the highest. For example, Singapore and Taiwan pay 650,000 euros to their Olympic champions. The two Asian delegations are the most generous towards their winners.
Conversely, other countries, such as New Zealand or Norway, do not pay any bonus. The United Kingdom has set up a different remuneration since the national federations pay 34,000 euros each year to the medallists of the last Games for training.
